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SB4 Phoenix
User Manual
47 pgs2.85 Mb0

Sunbirds SB4 Phoenix User Manual

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Sunbirds 10 avenue de l’Europe,31520, Ramonville St-Agne, France contact@sunbirds.aero www.sunbirds.aero 1
DATE : 19/08/2019
VERSION : 1.7
SB4 Phoenix
User Guide
Sunbirds 10 avenue de l’Europe,31520, Ramonville St-Agne, France contact@sunbirds.aero www.sunbirds.aero 2
DATE : 19/08/2019
VERSION : 1.7
Contents
A. General Description ........................................................................................................ 3
1. The SB4 Phoenix ........................................................................................................ 3
2. Equipment list ............................................................................................................. 3
3. Ground station ............................................................................................................ 4
4. Radio control (mode 1) ............................................................................................... 5
5. Operational limits ........................................................................................................ 5
6. Authorized operations ................................................................................................. 6
B. System features and configuration ................................................................................. 7
1. Sony RX100 II camera configuration ........................................................................... 7
2. Belvedere 2.0 features ................................................................................................... 9
Views ................................................................................................................................. 9
Belvedere settings view ....................................................................................................10
Parameters view ...............................................................................................................11
Plan view ..........................................................................................................................11
Flight view .........................................................................................................................21
Logs manager view ...........................................................................................................25
C. Setup .........................................................................................................................26
1. Belvedere software setup ..........................................................................................26
2. UAV and Ground station setup ..................................................................................26
D. Flight Operations .......................................................................................................29
1. Flight planning ...........................................................................................................29
2. Pre-Flight checks .......................................................................................................30
3. Launching ..................................................................................................................32
4. Mission ......................................................................................................................33
5. Landing ......................................................................................................................34
6. After landing procedure ..............................................................................................35
7. Safety procedures ......................................................................................................35
E. Maintenance ..................................................................................................................38
F. Checklist SB4 Phoenix ..................................................................................................43
Sunbirds 10 avenue de l’Europe,31520, Ramonville St-Agne, France contact@sunbirds.aero www.sunbirds.aero 3
DATE : 19/08/2019
VERSION : 1.7
A. General Description
1. The SB4 Phoenix
.
Weight
3.5 kg
Mission time ­Inspection
Up to 8 hours*
Wingspan
320cm
Mission time ­Survey
Up to 8 hours*
Length
155cm
Flying range
Up to 300km*
Flight mode
Assisted / Autonomous
Radio link range
Up to 50 km – 31 miles
Propulsion
Brushless DC motor & Folding propellers
Cruise speed
35km/h – 9.7 m/s
Battery Pack
LiPo 2,200mAh 6S 22.2V
Wind resistance
40km/h – 11 m/s
Launch
By hand
Default payload
Sony RX100 II 20Mpxl Camera
Connectivity
433 Mhz or 915 Mhz direct link
GSD
Down to 1 cm - 0.4 in per pixel
Flight time
Up to 8 hours*
Solar system
110W max. power
*Subject to solar and weather conditions
2. Equipment list
UAV Parts
Quantity
Fuselage
1
Wings
3
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VERSION : 1.7
Tail fins
2
Tail Boom
1
Battery
1
Payload
1
Bay cover
1
Antennas
2
Ground Station Parts
Quantity
Telemetry module
1
Antenna
1
Belvedere ground control software
1
Antenna mast
1
Radio Control
1
3. Ground station
The ground station is mandatory to operate the SB4 Phoenix, it is composed of a laptop with the software Sunbirds Belvedere 2.0 suite installed, a communication module, the antenna and its tripod.
Sunbirds Belvedere 2.0 provides the end-user with a graphical interface with diverse frames and tabs to prepare the flights, control and monitor the SB4 Phoenix all along the flight and manage the geotags afterwards.
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Note: To ensure safety during all operations an additional power source might be necessary for the ground station to cope with the long endurance of the SB4 Phoenix. A power bank or solar panels might be necessary depending on the location of the operation.
4. Radio control (mode 1)
Switch position
POS 0
POS 1
POS 2
Flight mode
Manual (top)
Stabilized
(middle)
Mission (down)
Motor ARM / DISARM
Disarmed (pushed)
Armed (pulled)
-
Aileron reverse function
Not reversed (pushed)
Reversed (pulled)
-
Important notice: Sunbirds does not recommend using full manual mode during the flight,
except in case of an autopilot/IMU failure. Note: Mode 2 R/C operate in the same way, the only difference is that the throttle stick and
elevator stick are swapped
5. Operational limits
Maximum weight
3.5kg
Maximum air speed (VNE)
90km/h
Stall air speed
30km/h
Maximum payload power
5W
Authorized wind gusts
40km/h
Operational temperatures
0°C to 40°C
Center of gravity
30% of the chord with a max of 10% static
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DATE : 19/08/2019
VERSION : 1.7
margin.
Maximum power
672W
6. Authorized operations
National, international and local regulations apply to drone operations. Please refer to the regulation that apply to your flight location before operating Sunbirds drones. Sunbirds recommends the following rules:
Night flight
Forbidden
Without VMC
Forbidden
Rain
Discouraged
Above 400 ft
Forbidden
Battery connection
After the drone/ground station are assembled
Operation on the ground
Drone must be disarmed
Motors armed
Propeller clear, wear gloves and long sleeves
Public
150m from flight area
Flight area
Non-populous areas
After landing
Disarm the drone
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DATE : 19/08/2019
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B. System features and configuration
1. Sony RX100 II camera configuration
1. Switch on the Sony RX100 II camera, use the wheel on top off the camera to switch to the “SCN” mode then press the “MENU” round button in the upper right corner.
1. Once the menu is up, five tabs regarding the camera settings are showed, respectively from 1 to 5 next a camera icon. To scroll through the sub menus, use the setting wheel. If the value is not set on the right value, use the center button to open the value selection panel. Then set the right one using the bottom and top parts of the setting wheel to scroll through the values and the center button to validate your choice.
2. Scroll down to check the following parameters ([Shaded] indicates the shaded parameters which can’t be changed in this specific configuration):
Menu 1
• Image Size = L: 20M
• Aspect Ratio = 3:2
• Quality = Fine
• [Shaded] Panorama: Size = Standard
• [Shaded] Panorama: Direction = Right
• Ctrl with Smartphone = -
Menu 2
• Drive Mode = Cont. Shooting
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DATE : 19/08/2019
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• Flash Mode = Flash Off
• Focus Mode = Continuous AF
• [Shaded] Autofocus Area = Multi
• [Shaded] Soft Skin Effect = Off
• Smile/Face Detect. = Off
• [Shaded] Auto Object Framing = Off
Menu 3
• [Shaded] ISO = ISO AUTO
• [Shaded] Metering Mode = Multi
• [Shaded] Flash Comp. ±0.0
• [Shaded] White Balance = Auto WB
• [Shaded] DOR/Auto HDR = D-Range Opt.
• [Shaded] Creative Style = Standard
• [Shaded] Picture Effect = Off
Menu 4
• Clear Image Zoom = Off
• Digital Zoom = Off
• [Shaded] Long Exposure NR = Off
• [Shaded] High ISO NR = Normal
• AF Illuminator = Off
• Steady Shot = Off
• Color Space = sRGB
Menu 5
• Shooting Tip List = -
• [Shaded] Write Date = Off
• Scene Selection = Sports Action
• [Shaded] Memory recall = -
• Memory = -
3. Don’t forget to go in the menu to the clock tab to verify that the date and the time match your location
4. Finally go the “SD card section”, as indicated in the picture below and set the “File Number” to “Reset”
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DATE : 19/08/2019
VERSION : 1.7
5. Then go the tab 4 of the “wrench section”, as indicated in the picture below and set the “Drop Sensor” to “Off”.
6. Once the parameters are set, the camera must be switched off, plugged and installed in its bay. Please make sure that the lens is aligned with the opening in the undercarriage and the camera has the right angle for your mission.
2. Belvedere 2.0 features
Views
Belvedere features different views used to set parameters, plan a mission and control the drone. Each view has a specific goal: they will be described in the next sections. To change between the different views, use the views buttons.
Each time a parameter is changed, you have to press the enter key to save it.
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Belvedere settings view
The first view is used to control Belvedere 2.0 general settings. It is mostly used by developers and people looking for advanced options such a debugging and console logs. The available panels are:
• General
• Commlinks
• Offline Maps
• MAVlink
• Console
• Mock Link
• Debug
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DATE : 19/08/2019
VERSION : 1.7
Parameters view
This view is used for the setup of the SB4 Phoenix. The SB4 Phoenix is shipped ready to fly. The available tabs are:
• Summary
• Firmware
• Radio
• Calibration
• Safety
• Parameters
It is also mostly used by developers and people looking for advanced options.
Plan view
The plan view is used to set up missions for the drones. The blue circle represents the geofence. It will be addressed in another chapter.
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The menu on the left is used to create the mission. The following buttons are available:
• Waypoint This button is used to create waypoints.
• Survey This button is used to create surveys. They are addressed in another chapter.
• Landing This button is used to create a landing procedure.
• Zoom in Zoom the map in.
• Zoom out Zoom the map out.
• Center zoom Center the map zoom on the mission, the home, the current location or the SB4 Phoenix.
• Sync This button give access to the management of the mission. It can be used to upload a mission on the drone, download the mission from the drone, save a mission on the ground station or load a mission from the ground station.
• Erase The button is used to erase a mission on Belvedere 2.0 and the drone at the same time.
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DATE : 19/08/2019
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• SRTM Change the SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) options mode, between the display of the current SRTMs, a trigger used to auto scale the SRTM and an option to import SRTM to Belvedere 2.0.
At the top is displayed information about the selected waypoint and about the global mission.
On the far top right, the main button to upload the mission to the drone is displayed.
On the bottom, the waypoints of the mission are displayed with their respective relative altitude to the ground.
Finally, on the right, is displayed the list of the waypoints in the mission, the control of the geofence and the rally points. This last feature is for now disabled on Belvedere 2.0.
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Each waypoint comes with various parameters the user can influence on.
HOME
The home is the initial position of the drone. Every waypoint altitude will refer to the home altitude, to operate in a relative frame (e.g. 50m above home). It is also the location where the drone will fly to if a “Return to Launch” procedure is triggered.
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VERSION : 1.7
Important notice: The flight altitude of the drone is defined relatively to the home altitude. The
drone uses its barometric sensor to compute its altitude. If the atmospheric pressure varies significantly during the flight, the drone’s altitude computation will be wrong resulting in an actual flight altitude different from the altitude set, and potentially leading to collision with obstacles and making procedures such as auto landing hazardous. Always ensure that the altitude of the drone is satisfying and if need be, abort the flight and reset the home position by unplugging the battery. While planning the flight, if a significant change in pressure is to be expected, make sure that the altitude of each waypoint enables to clear obstacles.
GEOFENCE
1. In Belvedere, click on the Geofence button
2. Set the different parameters:
a. Action in case of geofence violation:
i. None: Nothing is done
ii. Warning: Only warnings are displayed on Belvedere iii. Loiter: The drone is loitering at the geofence limit iv. Return to land: The drone enters in the RTL procedure
Important notice: Sunbirds recommends to choose the RTL mode.
b. The user can set the “Radius” (blue circle), the minimum “Radius” is 500m. c. The user can set the “max Altitude”, the minimum “max Altitude” is 50m.
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WAYPOINT
A waypoint is used to order the drone to fly to this position. A waypoint is made of coordinates (longitude and latitude), and altitude. As we can see above, the altitude of this waypoint is 41m above home. Always ensure that the checkbox “Altitude is relative to home” is checked in order to set a height above the initialization point of the drone. Each waypoint also has a camera section, which allows to switch on/off the camera, and set the various parameters (trigger distance/time). Then you can, for example, turn on the camera on a certain waypoint, take photos every 3 seconds, and turn off the camera later, on another waypoint.
JUMP TO
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A jump to item is used to repeat a certain sequence. You can decide of a target and a number of times to “repeat” this jump. This way, you can easily fly in a loop.
SURVEY
Surveys are used to map areas. The survey button automatically creates a survey on the map which can be resized and modified. To change the pattern of the survey or its size one can use the survey anchors (white dots). To remove an anchor, simply click on it. To move an anchor one can drag and drop it. To add an anchor on the survey pattern, simply click on the “+” button on the pattern’s edges.
When the survey is ready, one can access all the surveys parameters on the right panel.
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The following parameters are available to setup a survey:
• Type of camera The default payload for the SB4 Phoenix is the Sony RX100 II.
• Overlap The overlap enables to generate accurate orthomosaics (stitching photos together to create a map). It refers to the overlap between two pictures. With the SB4 Phoenix, the recommended overlap is 75% front and 70% side with the camera in portrait orientation.
• Images in turnarounds This option let the drone take pictures during its turnarounds. If this checkbox is unchecked, the camera will stay on but stop taking photos. We recommend to keep taking pictures in turns as those pictures can be used to generate orthomosaics.
• Angle Set the angle between the north and the survey lines. Surveys will usually be flown crosswind, except if there are other parameters more relevant to your mission (shadows, shape of the area etc.). Be aware that surveys flown crosswind will result
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in the drone flying sideways but if the wind is constant in strength and direction this should not impact the quality of the data collected as the yaw angle will be constant.
• Turnaround Distance Sunbirds recommends to set the radius of the drone’s turnarounds to at least 190m. If the survey lines are close to one another, it is recommended to increase that value so that the drone will turn and have enough distance to get aligned with the next leg of the survey.
• Point of entry Set the point of entry of the survey from top right, top left, bottom right and bottom left. Sunbirds recommends to fly surveys starting from the far end and coming back towards the landing point, for safety reasons.
• Reflying option If this checkbox is checked, the pattern will be mirrored with and 90° offset. This could help to achieve a higher overlap.
• Resolution The resolution of the survey is either set by defining the altitude or the desired ground resolution. When selecting the right resolution, ensure that you are not exceeding the maximum legal flight height, nor flying too low to clear obstacles.
• Altitude Make sure that the checkbox is checked, to set the altitude reference to relative. It will ensure that flight height is defined above the ground station’s altitude. Take into account the change in barometric pressure when planning a flight.
Information about the survey is displayed below the parameters:
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• Covered area in hectares
• The expected number of photos
• The interval between two pictures. Check that this value is not under 2 seconds as
this is the minimum time to trigger the camera.
Important notice: If the interval value is below 2 seconds, the following message will pop up.
Please adjust the flight altitude or the overlap until the interval is at least 2.1s.
• Camera mode The camera can be triggered at regular distance intervals or regular time intervals.
Those values will follow the “photo distance” or “photo interval” indicated in the survey
information.
LAND
The landing waypoint will create a landing procedure, made of 3 waypoints (U shaped) and a landing point. A landing procedure must always be defined when setting up a flight plan. Sunbirds recommends that the downwind and Upwind legs must be at least 350m long and the crosswind leg at least 250m. Make sure that the final leg is facing upwind. Usually, the
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last three waypoints before touchdown (2, 3, 4 in image below) are set at 70, 50 and 30m above ground station level respectively. To change the orientation of the landing pattern, click and drag on the waypoints or use the “angle” box.
Important Warning: If the drone is not following the right path, if the wind is too strong or if
there are obstacles, people, animals or vehicles in the landing area, or if anything looks wrong, abort landing immediately by taking over in attitude control and performing a steep climb with adapted throttle or crash-landing away from people, animals, vehicles and equipment. The auto-landing is the pilot’s responsibility and is only assisting the pilot for the landing phase.
Flight view
The default view on Belvedere 2.0 is the flight view. It is used to control the drone during a flight and to have access to information about the drone.
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The menu on the left is used to control the map and the drone behavior. The following buttons are available:
• Arm/ Disarm Used to arm or disarm the SB4 Phoenix.
• Zoom in Zoom the map in.
• Zoom out Zoom the map out.
• Center zoom Center the map zoom on the mission, the home, the current location or the SB4 Phoenix.
• Clear Clear the drone trajectory or the drone footprints.
• Mode Change flight mode, between Manual, Attitude control (Stabilized) and Mission.
• Speed Change the drone speed, between 9 m/s, 10 m/s and 12 m/s.
• RTL Trigger the RTL (Return to Launch) safety procedure, making the drone coming back to the home, loitering above it and landing after a set timer.
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• SRTM Change the SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) options mode, between the display of the current SRTMs, a trigger used to auto scale the SRTM and an option to import SRTM to Belvedere 2.0. Belvedere will automatically check the path between two waypoints, ensuring that it clears the terrain. If the line between two waypoints turns red, it means that there is not enough margin between the ground and the trajectory of the drone. Please change the waypoint location or increase relative altitude.
• Camera Open the camera control tab, used to control the camera, to cycled between the camera modes and to change the camera options.
At the top, indicators show information about warnings, the GPS signal, the RC signal, the radio signal, the battery, the current flight mode and the arming state.
Beneath the indicators, one can see the message box, used by Belvedere 2.0 to communicate important information to the user.
On the top right, various alerts and warnings are triggered automatically in order to warn the user.
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On the bottom, action messages are displayed, such as arming the drone or start the RTL procedure.
Finally, on the right, the user has access to various information on the drone. From top to bottom, the flight attitude, information about the drone state, the ratio between solar and consume power and the compass.
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The gear button can be used to choose the information to display. Some of them, such as the vibrations and temperature are not available on Belvedere 2.0. This setup of information will be saved and automatically loaded upon the opening of the software.
Logs manager view
In the logs manager view, you can geotag pictures (associates GPS coordinates to pictures, to know where the photos have been taken) and remotely delete the flight logs on the drone.
- After the flight, you will first need to click on the “Geotag Download” button to download the geotag from the drone. Save the file at the desired place on your computer.
The connection between Belvedere 2.0 and the drone must remain active while doing this operation.
- Then, you must remove the camera from the drone, take off the SD card and insert it in your computer. Then, copy the pictures of the flight on your computer.
- Click on the “Select geotag file” button and select the geotag file previously downloaded from the drone.
- Click on the “Select image directory” button and select the folder containing the pictures of the flight.
- You can also choose a save directory, where the geotagged pictures will be saved.
- Finally, click on “Start tagging” and wait for the geotagging to be finished.
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C. Setup
This section, together with the Flight operations (D.) section, explain in a sequential and do­list way the steps to setup and prepare the system for a flight.
1. Belvedere software setup
A laptop running Windows is required to install Belvedere. Copy the setup file on your Desktop, then double-click it and follow the setup installation steps. Once completed, go to the file where you have chosen to install Belvedere (usually C:\Program Files), go into the
BelvedereV2 file and look for the “Belvedere.exe” document (next to a Sunbirds blue icon).
We recommend that you create a shortcut on your desktop by doing a right click on this document and selecting “create shortcut”.
Important notice: Belvedere is designed to be used with an internet connection. It will be
required to load maps and elevation (SRTM) data. When planning a flight, connect to the internet, zoom in to see clearly your flight area and wait until the SRTM data has been downloaded successfully. The laptop can then be brought to the flight location and the cached map and SRTM data can be used without an Internet connection.
2. UAV and Ground station setup
Before assembly:
A thorough inspection of the equipment is required before each flight. In particular, the following aspects are to be checked each time the drone and its ground station are set up, and on condition maintenance must be performed in case one or several issues are detected.
1. Fuselage & tail boom: visually inspect the fuselage, ensuring that it is clean, there are no cracks nor defects
2. Bay and side covers: visually assess their condition and check that they fit and can be securely fastened
3. Undercarriage: visually inspect the undercarriage, ensuring that it is clean, there are no cracks
4. Pitot tube: visually inspect the Pitot tube, ensuring that the tube is clear and clean.
5. Drone antennas: visually inspect the antennas, ensuring that the antennas are in good condition and form a “V” with a 90° angle between them
6. Motor: visually inspect the motor, ensuring that the motor turns free, that it is clean and the sound is nominal
7. Propellers: visually inspect the propellers, ensuring that the 2 blades fold freely but the screws are tight enough, that the mount and the cone (spinner) are tight, and that there are no cracks nor defects, especially on the leading edge of the blades
8. Wing: visually inspect the 3 parts of the wing, ensuring there are no cracks nor defects and the solar panels are clean
9. Tail fins: visually inspect the tail fins, ensuring there are no cracks nor defects, and the nylon screws and carbon struts are in good condition
10. Tail controls: moving freely, no abnormal noise and servos firmly held in place
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11. Ailerons: check and ensure that the hinges, rods and connectors are in good condition
12. Wings Controls: ensure that the ailerons move freely and the servos are firmly glued in place
13. Wing struts: visually inspect the 4 carbon wing struts ensuring there are no cracks and that the struts and the tubes in which they are inserted are clean
14. Remote Control: Please follow the RC manual instructions. Make sure to visually inspect the remote control, ensuring that the battery level is 100% and it is physically in good condition and clean. Make sure that all switches and sticks move freely and are held in place tightly.
Assembly:
1. Central Wing : connect the 2 cables (yellow & green) firmly then attach the wing to the fuselage. Make sure that the wing cables are not pinched between the wing and the fuselage. Use a screwdriver to tighten the 2 nylon screws, the longer one in front (where the wing is thicker)
2. Struts: put the struts in place on both sides of the central wing
3. Left & Right wings: connect the cables then attach the wing tips to the central wing, making sure that the cables are not pinched. Fasten the Velcro straps tightly
4. Tail fins: Plug the two cables, insert both tail fins in the tail boom, then tighten both screws. Make sure that the cables are not pinched
5. Aircraft battery: install the battery in the fuselage, ensuring that it is held in place by the Velcro tape. Do not plug the battery yet
6. Camera: Make sure that the camera is in SCN & sport mode, plug the camera, adjust it in its foam support and fasten it with the Velcro strap. The camera must be off. Please refer to section B. of this manual for more detailed information about the camera
7. Antenna: Connect the antenna (Yagi antenna or small dipole antenna) to the Modem’s gold RPSMA plug, and tighten the connector. Make sure that the USB cable is connected to the modem (see photo below) and then, connect the USB plug to the laptop
8. Belvedere Software: launch the software (.exe document)
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9. Remote Control: put all the switches in POS 0 (towards front), throttle stick to 0%. Then switch ON the remote control and make sure that the right aircraft is selected (check on the screen of the RC)
10. Aircraft battery: make sure that the propeller is clear then plug the battery
11. Aircraft initialization: the ESC must play its initialization music, then bip regularly. Check that the arming button is slowly blinking red
12. Aircraft bay: visually inspect the cables and connections. Close the hatch cover
13. Connection to Belvedere: wait for the blue bar to load. Then check:
- GPS satellite number and accuracy are satisfying
- Home position (GPS) is displayed and matches your location
- Direction of the aircraft symbol and compass indicator matches the actual
direction of the drone
- Airspeed is displayed and is coherent
- Altitude is displayed and is coherent
- The battery level is coherent
- HUD is correct, test the pitch and roll display by banking/pitching the aircraft
1. Sensor calibration
Important notice: All sensors must be calibrated after 10 flights, after 2 weeks without flying,
or if the drone has been transported. The compass must be calibrated for each new flight area (after transport, shocks, or vibrations), for each first flight of the day or every ten flights. It is important to always check that the information displayed in Belvedere (position, altitude, orientation etc.) is coherent with the actual status of the drone, and accurate. Sensors can be calibrated indoors except for the compass that must be calibrated outdoor in an area with little magnetic interference.
In the Vehicle Setup view, go to “Calibration”, then select each item one by one, click OK in the top right corner and follow the instruction. The loading bar shows the progress of the
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calibration process. The 4 items that require calibration are: Compass, Gyroscope, Accelerometer and Airspeed.
Compass : Holding the drone, perform figures of eight. Make sure that you are in an obstacle-free area before starting.
Gyroscope : put the drone level on a flat surface, and make sure that it doesn’t move during the calibration process
Accelerometer : follow the instructions, putting the drone in the required position and holding it still in that position
Airspeed : make sure that the drone is indoor (no A/C) or in an area with no wind. At 75% of the calibration, following the message, blow into the pitot tube (<1cm from your mouth)
D. Flight Operations
Once the UAV and ground station are set up, and the flight plan is created and uploaded into the drone, the system has to be prepared and checked before flight. At Sunbirds, we consider that flight operations start with flight planning and end once the drone is disarmed.
1. Flight planning
Please refer to the Belvedere section above for detailed information regarding the use of Sunbirds’ ground control software. Here are a few steps that must always be followed when planning a mission:
1. Calibrate the Compass (see C.3. above) for the 1st flight of the day or if you had to transport the drone to a new area or if you the orientation of the drone that is displayed in Belvedere is different from the actual orientation of the drone. Please refer to the Calibration section of this manual (C.3.).
2. Set the Geofence value and choose your preferred option in case of geofence breach. Sunbirds recommends to initiate a RTL procedure in case of geofence breach.
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3. Create or upload a saved flight plan, checking that the altitude of each waypoint is set
in “relative” (above ground station level) and is high enough to clear obstacles. Do not fly
over people, or hazardous obstacles (powerlines, vehicles etc.), nor near equipment that may interfere with the GPS, compass or electronics (powerlines, radars, cell towers etc.). Take into consideration the changes in pressure that may happen during the flight.
4. Set the take-off procedure, ensuring that the take-off waypoint is upwind and that the drone will clear the obstacles when reaching for the take-off waypoint.
5. Always create a landing procedure, ensuring that the final leg is upwind and that the landing area is large enough. The landing procedure is not always accurate and depends on the weather conditions of the day. Sunbirds recommends to land on a flat and soft surface (grass) clear of obstacles in a rectangle area of 100m*50m, with the touch down point at least 20m from the nearest obstacle.
6. Set the airspeed to 12m/s.
7. Save the flight plan, then upload it into the drone.
2. Pre-Flight checks
In this phase, make sure to start with the remote control’s throttle stick is on 0% and the Arm switch is on 0 (motor disarmed).
1. Aircraft Button: press the arming button for 3s : the button starts blinking faster
2. Propeller: check and ensure that the propellers are clear, in good condition and the drone is at safe distance from the public.
3. Belvedere: arm the drone using the arming button then sliding the confirmation button. Then check that the aircraft’s controls are in neutral position and the ESC bips 3 times, then the bips stop.
4. Launcher: put on gloves, hard hat, long sleeves and hi-vis
5. Controls:
- Switch the Mode selector on the RC to POS 0 : “Manual”
Roll stick left: check that the left aileron goes up and the right aileron goes down Roll stick right: check that left aileron goes down and the Right aileron goes up Pitch stick up: check that both tail planes move up Pitch stick down: check that both tail planes move down Flaps switch POS 1: check that both ailerons move down Flaps switch POS 0: check that both ailerons return to neutral position All controls: check and ensure that they move freely, there are no delays, unusual noises nor
slack.
6. Controls:
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- Switch the Mode selector on the RC to POS 1 : “Attitude”
Roll stick left: check that the left aileron moves up and the right aileron moves down. Roll stick right: check that the left aileron moves down and the Right aileron moves up. Pitch stick up: check that both tail planes move up. Pitch stick down: check that both tail planes move down. Flaps switch POS 1: check that both ailerons move down. Flaps switch POS 0: check that both ailerons return to neutral. All controls: check and ensure that they move freely, there are no delays, unusual noises nor
slack. Autopilot:
Bank the Aircraft to the left: check that the left aileron moves down and the right aileron moves up.
Bank the Aircraft to the right: check that the left aileron moves up and the right aileron moves down.
Hold the Aircraft nose up, wings horizontal: check that the tail planes move down Hold the Aircraft nose down, wings horizontal: check that the tail planes move up All controls: check and ensure that they move freely, there are no delays, unusual noises nor
slack.
7. Motor test (manual and attitude mode):
Propeller: clear the propeller from any obstacle, holding the drone away from people Launcher: ensure that the launcher wears his personal protection equipment.
IMPORTANT: ensure that the aircraft is held firmly by the launcher, propeller clear
Motor test area: check and ensuring that area is clear for the motor.
8. Motor test:
Mode switch on POS 0 “Manual”:
- Put the motor safety switch on POS 1.
- Increase the throttle stick progressively to 100%.
- Check and ensure that the thrust, vibrations and noise are normal.
- Decrease throttle to 0%.
- Put the motor safety switch on POS 0.
- Increase throttle to 50%.
- Check that motor does not start.
- Decrease throttle to 0%
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Mode switch on POS 1 “Attitude” :
- Put the motor safety switch on POS 1.
- Increase the throttle stick progressively to 100%.
- Check and ensuring that the thrust, vibrations and noise are normal.
- Decrease throttle to 0%.
- Put the motor safety switch on POS 0.
- Increase throttle to 50%.
- Check that motor does not start.
- Decrease throttle to 0%
9. Belvedere: tick all boxes of the check list
10. Camera control: Click on camera “ON” in Belvedere. Check that camera is ON, that the lens is deployed and in right position. Then click on camera “OFF” in Belvedere. Check that the lens is folded and the protection is shut.
11. Airspeed: check that the airspeed is displayed in Belvedere and it is nominal
3. Launching
Launching position
During the launching phase 2 people are required: the pilot and the launcher. The launcher must be trained thoroughly before launching the aircraft. The launcher must
wear personal protection equipment: a hard hat with neck protection, gloves, and long sleeves. A thick jacket protecting the arm, wrist and shoulders of the launcher is highly recommended.
Important notice: the drone must be held firmly under the fuselage with one hand. Be aware
that once the motor starts, the drone will be propelled forward and may fall if it is not held properly.
Pre-Launch procedure
1. Launcher: ensure that the launcher wears his personal protection equipment and is trained and briefed
2. Crew: ensure that the ground crew (spotters, road traffic controllers etc.) is trained, briefed and in position
3. Mission: ensure that the mission is approved (Civil Aviation rules apply) and the weather is suitable.
4. Final risk assessment: make a final, on-site risk assessment taking into consideration any obstacle and threat (birds, public, trees etc.)
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5. Launcher: check the wind orientation, put the drone upwind and facing T/O waypoint (this must be checked on Belvedere).
6. Check that the aircraft is held in launching position with its propeller clear.
7. Controls: Roll/Pitch: move sticks and ensure that ailerons and elevator movements match stick position.
Launching procedure
There are 2 modes in which the drone can be launched: attitude control and auto.
Take off: attitude control mode
1. Pilot: Switch to Attitude control mode by setting the flight mode switch to 1 on the remote control.
2. Launcher: Hold the plane straight under the fuselage with one hand, pitch and roll must be neutral on Belvedere screen. Check that the propellers are unfolded.
3. Launcher: Countdown from 3 (3, 2, 1, 0)
4. Pilot: At “1”, set the throttle to 100% and set a small positive pitch command.
5. Launcher: At “0”, make sure that the motor has started and launch the plane forward with a small positive pitch (5° to 15°). The launcher’s arm must remain straight and go down as soon as the drone is released to remain clear of the propeller.
6. Pilot: During the takeoff, maintain the roll stable and the pitch positive (5° to 15°).
7. Pilot: Continue to navigate in Attitude control mode until reaching the auto mission altitude.
8. Pilot: Check the controls:
- Roll stick left/right: aircraft rolls left/right
- Pitch stick up/down: aircraft pitches up/down
9. Pilot: When the UAV has reached a safe altitude, clearing all obstacles, it can be switched to auto mode (position 2 on the remote control).
Take off: auto mode
1. Launcher: Hold the plane straight under the fuselage with one hand, pitch and roll must be neutral on Belvedere screen. Check that the propellers are unfolded.
2. Pilot : Countdown from 3 (3, 2, 1, 0)
3. Pilot: At “1”, switch to auto mode by setting the flight mode switch to 2 on the remote control.
4. Launcher: At “0”, make sure that the motor has started and launch the plane forward with a small positive pitch (5° to 15°). The launcher’s arm must remain straight and go down as soon as the drone is released to remain clear of the propeller.
5. Pilot: make sure that the drone is climbing safely, clearing obstacles and acting as expected. If not, switch to Attitude Control and land immediately.
6. Belvedere: Check that the Take-Off waypoint has been reached and validated
4. Mission
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During the flight, always make sure that:
1. The UAV goes from one waypoint to the next without swerving. If the UAV doesn’t have a correct trajectory set the UAV speed to a higher value.
2. The attitude of the UAV is nominal:
a. Roll angle between -45° and +45°. b. Pitch angle between -20° and +20°.
3. The airspeed remains over 8m/s.
4. The ground speed is over 5m/s, otherwise set a higher speed or land immediately (wind speed too high)
5. The battery level remains over 30%. If the UAV is far from the landing point, make sure that it has enough power to come back and land safely with 30% battery remaining.
6. The datalink signal quality is over 20% and there are no warnings. In VLOS, Sunbirds also recommends to keep within range of the RC radio link.
5. Landing
Landing: attitude control mode
1. When the UAV is in satisfying visual line of sight, make sure that you assess its position and orientation then switch to Attitude control mode by setting the flight mode switch to 1 on the remote control
2. Operate the UAV to fly rectangular circuits (or large circles >50m of diameter) while maintaining a small negative pitch angle (nose down 15°). Reduce throttle to control the airspeed during descent (between 10-12m/s). Remember to steer the aircraft carefully, clearing all obstacles and avoiding abrupt changes in direction.
3. When the relative altitude is around 15m, set the UAV direction upwind
4. Set the throttle to zero, pitch down (10°) to maintain speed and keep wings level
5. Deploy flaps if need be to slow down the aircraft (recommended in low wind conditions)
6. When the relative altitude is less than 1m, maintain the pitch and roll to zero until the plane touches the ground.
Landing: auto mode
A landing procedure must always be defined when setting up a flight plan. Click on “land” in the mission planning view and make sure that the pattern matches Sunbirds’ recommendation: 350m for upwind and downwind legs, 250m for the crosswind leg. Usually, the last three waypoints before touchdown are set at 70, 50 and 30m above ground station level respectively. Please refer to the “landing” section of section B. of this manual for more information.
Initiating the auto-landing procedure:
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Keep the drone in auto mode after its mission or send it to the first waypoint of the auto­landing procedure (in auto mode) then:
1. Let the drone follow the landing procedure. If anything goes wrong, abort landing by taking over in attitude control (see important warning above)
2. Check that the landing area is clear. Once in the final leg, assess whether the drone will touch down in a suitable area or if it may undershoot/overshoot. If it looks like the drone will not land safely, abort landing.
6. After landing procedure
1. After landing, in Belvedere, click on “disarm” and slide the disarm button to disarm the UAV
2. If disarming from the software doesn’t work, maintain the arm/disarm button on the UAV to disarm it
3. If need be, download geotags (see procedure in Belvedere section B.)
4. Write down the Flight Time in your flight log (min)
5. Disconnect the aircraft battery
6. Take out the camera
7. If need be, remove pictures using the camera’s SD card
8. Close Belvedere 2.0.
9. Disconnect the antenna
7. Safety procedures
Flight preparation
A flight volume must be defined for each flight. The operator must ensure that the UAV stays in this volume at all time. This flight volume must be defined taking into consideration:
• A sufficient margin in the flight mission to consider potential deviations of the plane (wind, automatic flight, turn distances for surveys, etc.).
• A sufficient margin to allow the operator to engage the fail-safe procedures
• The mission’s environment
• Regulatory aspects (airspaces, airfields, airports, populated areas etc.)
• Minimum distance to third parties1 and their property. Sunbirds recommends a
minimum distance from people, animals, vehicles and equipment at least equal to the flight height AGL
• The capabilities, proficiency and experience of the pilot and the crew
Emergency procedures The procedures below do not describe in an exhaustive way all the actions that the operator must engage in case of a system or component failure.
1
For example: other airspace users and people on the ground
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The procedures below assume that the operator has preliminary tried to recover from an anomaly to retrieve a nominal situation. They describe, inter alia, ultimate safety measures when:
• The UAV cannot be maintained in the defined flight volume
• When flying beyond visual line of sight the operator doesn’t have enough information
to ensure that the UAV stays in the defined flight volume
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Events that may cause an exit from the flight
volume (vertically or horizontally)
Possible corrective actions allowing the UAV return in
the flight volume or the limitation of the distance out of
the flight volume (vertically or horizontally)
Abnormal behavior of the automatic flight following a software error of an electronic
failure
Action 1:
VLOS: switch to Attitude control mode and
land. If the autopilot or IMU is down, switch
to full manual flight
Action 2:
In BVLOS: Motor cut (Disarm)
Action 3:
Data link loss
Action 1:
Automatic transition to RTL.
Action 2:
Action 3:
Loss of control following an aileron or tail
failure (electronic, mechanic)
Action 1:
VLOS: Switch to manual or attitude control, cut the motor and steer the drone to a safe
area for crash-landing
Action 2:
BVLOS: Motor cut (Disarm)
Action 3:
Loss of control due to a power failure. Throttle
blocked at high level
Action 1:
VLOS: Switch to Attitude control and reduce
throttle
Action 2:
BVLOS: Manual transition to RTL & switch to
Attitude control
Action 3:
Wind gust exceeding the capacity of the UAV
to maintain the trajectory
Action 1:
VLOS: Switch to Attitude control and land
Action 2:
BVLOS: Modification of the altitude and RTL
Action 3:
Altitude information loss
Action 1:
VLOS: Switch to Attitude control
Action 2:
BVLOS: Motor cut (Disarm)
Action 3:
Position information loss
Action 1:
VLOS: Switch to Attitude control
Action 2:
BVLOS: Motor cut (Disarm)
Action 3:
Antenna disconnected from laptop
Action 1:
VLOS: Switch to Attitude control
Action 2:
BVLOS: reconnect antenna
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E. Solar flights
Endurance
The SB4 is designed for endurance. It is able to fly for up to 8 hours in optimal conditions. The factors that significantly impact the endurance are:
Parameter
Head/cross wind
Updraft
Temperature
Sunshine
Clouds
Impact on flight time
Negative
Positive
Negative
Positive
Negative
Solar energy
The solar system of the SB4 produces up to 110W (installed power) while the aircraft requires 50-60W in level flight. Therefore, when the sunshine conditions are satisfying, the SB4 recharges its battery. The output of the solar system mainly depends on:
-the latitude : the solar rays have more intensity around the equatorial regions
-the season : the solar rays have more intensity when the sun is higher above the horizon
-the time : the solar rays are better converted into energy by the solar wing when the sun is high in the sky
-cloud cover and aerosols
-altitude : the higher the less solar radiations are absorbed by the atmosphere
-cleanliness of the cells: always clean the solar cells before a flight
Cloud cover
On average, clouds absorb or scatter 20% of the incoming solar radiation. When the drone is flying under a cloud, its solar output drops but if it then flies in a clear patch it will start recharging its battery. Therefore, it is crucial to check cloud cover before flying the SB4 and to monitor it throughout the flight.
Cloud cover (okta)
SKC (0)
FEW (1-2)
SCT (3-4)
BKN (5-7)
OVC (8)
Av. solar power
100%
86%
73%
59%
36%
Av. flight time
7 hrs
7 hrs
5 hrs
2 hrs
1 hr
Below are a few examples of cloud cover over Queensland: Few, Scattered, Broken and Overcast (left to right, top to bottom)
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Planning a solar flight Solar flights can be long, take place Beyond Visual Line of Sight and in desertic areas. There
are a few factors to take into consideration:
-Time
It is recommended to fly between 10am-3pm (tested in November in NW Queensland)
-Cloud cover
Do not fly beyond visual line of sight if there is a chance that the drone will fly in a cloudy area. Monitor the weather and battery level carefully
-Altitude-Pressure
The SB4 uses a barometric pressure sensor to assess its altitude. Always monitor the pressure and read forecasts before a flight. Edit the altitude of distant waypoints if need be to ensure that the drone will clear obstacles and terrain. As a reminder, a change of 1hPa in pressure results in a change of 8.3m in altitude reading (ISA conditions, 15°C).
Important notice : Do not perform an automatic landing if the air pressure has changed
significantly during the flight.
-Wind
Plan the flight to avoid head wind as much as possible and monitor the ground speed to ensure that the drone can fly back to the launch location.
-Battery management
Use the indications displayed in the status panel to monitor the flight. Make sure to keep a safe battery level at all times and do not perform a long flight if the battery level does not ensure a safe return to the launch location. The Solar/Consumed Power Ratio, the solar current and the consumed power enable operators to assess the endurance of the drone.
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Important notice: If the battery level starts decreasing significantly, ensure a safe return of
the drone to its landing location. Be aware that a safe return requires to clear obstacles and terrain, therefore do not use the RTL fail safe if there is high terrain or obstacles between the drone and the Home position.
F. Maintenance
Taking care of your SB4 Phoenix
Follow the user sections of this manual (Set Up, Flight Ops and Checklist) to learn which elements must be checked before and after each flight. The following points have to be thoroughly and periodically checked:
-all surfaces must be kept clean. Do not use any chemicals to clean your SB4 Phoenix, simply wipe it with a wet cloth or paper
-Make sure that the solar cells are not exposed – i.e. the plastic sheet protecting them is not scratched or cracked. When cleaning the plastic sheet, use a wet cloth and be careful not to scratch them (especially in dusty/sandy environments). Do not use any chemicals
-each item, especially moving parts and plastic parts (connectors etc.) must be checked for cracks and fatigue. Sunbirds recommends to change parts on condition and can provide you with original spare parts
-cables and connectors are fragile equipment, make sure to always plug and unplug cables by holding the connectors and never pull on cables. All cables, connectors and electronics must be kept dry and clean
-the undercarriage of the drone is particularly exposed at landing and will get scratched. Sunbirds recommends the use of protective duct tape for landings on rough surfaces
-LiPo batteries are fragile and must be handled and used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Sunbirds recommends to store batteries in a special LiPo bag or box and to use a dedicated LiPo charger. Always check the batteries for abnormal inflation, scratches, distortion, liquid leak etc. Immediately store the battery in a LiPo bag or box if any of those abnormalities is detected and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to discard the battery.
-Several items including the velcro straps, servos and vertical tails are glued in place. Make sure to regularly check that they are not loose. Contact Sunbirds before attempting to glue or repair any part of the drone.
-Store the UAV and its equipment in a dry place where the temperature is between 15° and 25°. Protect your equipment from dust, sand dirt and humidity. Do not expose the radio command nor any equipment to high temperatures or high vibrations. Only use the equipment recommended by Sunbirds
-Replace the propellers and spinner on condition. Please contact Sunbirds if you have trouble doing so and only use the original equipment provided by Sunbirds.
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Modifications and repairs
Sunbirds does not encourage self-made repairs and any repair, modification or addition to the SB4 Phoenix and its equipment will void the warranty. Please contact Sunbirds before conducting any repair by yourself. Please also keep in mind that EPO and fiberglass parts must be repaired using special glues only.
Regular maintenance checks
Some items are not included in other sections of this manual but have to be checked at least once a month or every 20 flights. If there is any issue with these, please ground the aircraft and contact Sunbirds’ support.
-autopilot: make sure that the autopilot (pixhawk) is tightly attached, level with the drone
-Tail boom : firmly held in place
-GPS: in place at the rear of the fuselage
-motor support: glued in place
-Radio Modem: in place at the rear of the aircraft
-rods and hinges: all bolts tight
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Troubleshooting
Through this manual, a lot of checks have been detailed. In case any of the checks reveals a
problem, please contact Sunbirds’ support. Please note that the current chapter refers to
solving issues when the drone is on the ground. Here are common issues and the way to try and solve them by yourself:
Problem
Solution
Major Mechanical / Structural / Electronics issue
Contact Sunbirds Belvedere frozen
Restart Belvedere
Drone information not correctly displayed in Belvedere
Disarm, disconnect drone battery, close Belvedere, unplug antenna. Then repeat setup procedure and recalibrate all sensors.
Map not displayed
Connect to the Internet. Make sure that Java is installed on your laptop.
Camera not starting
Disarm, disconnect drone battery, check that the camera cable is plugged and repeat setup procedure.
Loss of connection with the drone / no connection after setup
Disarm and unplug drone battery, unplug antenna. Start setup from the beginning
Cannot add a waypoint where desired
Check that geofence value enable to position the waypoint where desired. Check that elevation between the previous waypoint and this one enables to clear the terrain
Photos are not saved in camera
Check that card SD is in its slot
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DATE : 19/08/2019
VERSION : 1.7
G. Checklist SB4 Phoenix
Date: RPIC: Crew:
Flight number :
Before leaving
Flight area map & SRTM
Downloaded
Flight - Flyfreely App
Lodged and Approved
Fuselage
Inspected and in transport case
Wings *3
Inspected and in transport case
Tails *2
Inspected and in transport case
Payload
Charged and loaded
Struts *4
Inspected and in transport case
Batteries
Charged
Laptop
Charged, Belvedere up-to-date
Antenna and mast
In transport case
Personal Protection Eq.
Loaded
Water, Food, Sun protection
Loaded
Signage
Loaded
Aeronautical radio
Charged and Loaded
Radio Control
Charged and Loaded
Pre-assembly
Signage
In place
Fuselage & boom
No cracks nor defects, clean
Bay & side covers
Good condition
Undercarriage
Clean, no cracks
Pitot tube
Visually checked, clear and clean
Drone antennas
In place, 90° between them, good condition
Motor
Turning free, sound ok, clean
Propellers
Blades tight, cone tight, no cracks nor defects
Left, central right Wing
No cracks nor defects, solar panels clean
Tails
No cracks, cables and connectors OK
Tail Boom
No cracks, attached tightly
Tails Controls
Moving freely, sound OK
Wing tips
Attached, no cracks nor defects
Ailerons
Hinges, rods and connectors condition OK
Wings Controls
Servos moving freely, sound ok
Wing struts
No cracks, clean
Remote Control
Physically inspected, battery level checked
After assembly
Wing struts
In place, ensuring rigidity of wings
Wing straps
Velcro in place, tight
Left & Right Wing Servos (x2)
Connected, cables correctly positioned
Central wing Solar cable connected (yellow)
Servo cable connected (green)
Tails cables
Servo cables connected
Tails screws
Nylon bolts tight, no slack
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Camera
Lens clean, good condition
SD card in place & empty
mode SCN
camera installed, USB plugged, fastened
camera OFF
Antenna
Plugged into laptop, modem LED flashing
Belvedere Software
Launched
Remote Control
Manual mode
Arm Switch 0
Throttle 0
Then switched ON
Right aircraft selected
Aircraft battery
Not swollen, no damages, no leaks
Cables and connectors clean & good condition
Voltage and cell balance checked
Then battery installed, plugged & fastened
Aircraft initialisation ESC music then regular bips
Arming button slowly blinking red
Aircraft bay
Cables and connections visually checked
Hatch cover
In place, secured with duct tape
Connection to Belvedere
Loading bar complete
GPS satellite number and accuracy satisfying
Home position (GPS) displayed
Airspeed displayed and coherent
Altitude displayed and coherent
HUD correct, pitch and roll display tested
Compass
Calibrated (1st flight of the day / new area)
Flight plan
Geofence set
Flight plan created or uploaded from file
Waypoints altitudes in “relative”
Take-off procedure set, upwind
Landing procedure created, upwind
Fail safes set
Flight plan uploaded in the drone
Aeronautical radio
On, Frequency set
Arming
Aircraft
Button pressed for 3s, blinking faster
Propeller
Clear, drone at safe distance
Belvedere
Armed using Slide button
Aircraft
Servos in neutral position, 3 bips then bips stop
Belvedere
Tick all boxes
System checks
Camera control
Camera “Start” clicked in Belvedere
On, lens deployed, right position
Camera “Stop” clicked in Belvedere
Lens folded, protection shut
Airspeed
Displayed in Belvedere, Nominal
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Launcher
PPE: gloves, hard hat, long sleeves, hi-vis
Propeller
Kept Clear
Launcher
Holding aircraft, controls clear
Controls: Manual mode
Mode switch on 0 “Manual”
Roll stick left: Left aileron up, Right aileron down
Roll stick right: Left aileron down, Right aileron up
Pitch stick up: Both tails up
Pitch stick down: Both tails down
Flaps switch 1: Both ailerons up Flaps switch back to 0
All controls
Moving freely, no delays, noises, nor slack
Controls : Attitude mode
Mode switch on 1 “Attitude”
Roll stick left: Left aileron up, Right aileron down
Roll stick right: Left aileron down, Right aileron up
Pitch stick up: Both tails up
Pitch stick down Both tails down
Flaps switch 1: Both ailerons up Flaps switch back to 0
Autopilot: Attitude mode
Aircraft banked to the left: Left aileron down, Right aileron up
Aircraft banked to the right: Left aileron up, Right aileron down
Aircraft held nose up, wings horizontal: Both tails down
Aircraft held nose down, wings horizontal: Both tails up
All controls
Moving freely, no delays, noises, nor slack
Motor test
Propeller
Kept clear
Launcher
PPE on
Aircraft
Held firmly by the launcher
Motor test area
Clear
Motor test: Manual mode
Mode switch on 0 “Manual”
Motor Safety switch on “1”
Throttle stick progressively to 100%
Thrust, vibrations and noise normal
Decrease throttle to 0%
Safety switch on “0”
Sunbirds 10 avenue de l’Europe,31520, Ramonville St-Agne, France contact@sunbirds.aero www.sunbirds.aero 46
DATE : 19/08/2019
VERSION : 1.7
Increase throttle to 50%
Check that motor does not start
Throttle stick back to 0%
Motor test: Attitude mode
Mode switch on 1 “Attitude”
Motor Safety switch on “1”
Throttle stick progressively to 100%
Thrust, vibrations and noise normal
Decrease throttle to 0%
Safety switch on “0”
Increase throttle to 50%
Check that motor does not start
Throttle stick back to 0%
Launching
Launcher
PPE on, trained and briefed
Crew
Trained and Briefed, in position
Mission
Approved, weather OK
Final risk assessment
Done, area clear
Launcher
Oriented upwind, facing T/O waypoint
Aircraft
Held in launching position, propeller clear
Controls
Roll/Pitch: controls match stick position
Launching in Mission Mode
Motor switch
Position 1
Countdown
From 3
Mode switch
Position 2 “Mission”
Motor
Starts
Aircraft
Launched by launcher
Belvedere T/O waypoint validated
HUD and flight parameters OK
Launching in Attitude Mode
Motor switch
Position 1
Countdown
From 3
Mode switch
Position 1 “Attitude”
Throttle stick
Progressively to 100%
Aircraft
Launched by launcher
Controls Roll stick left/right: aircraft rolls left/right
Pitch stick up/down: aircraft pitches up/down
Belvedere
HUD and flight parameters OK
In Flight
Flight parameters
Airspeed as set
Battery
Not below 30%
Solar power
Monitored, compared to consumption
Connection
No warnings
Before landing
Landing procedure
Upwind
Landing Area
Clear
Crew
Landing announced
After landing
Belvedere
Aircraft Disarmed
Sunbirds 10 avenue de l’Europe,31520, Ramonville St-Agne, France contact@sunbirds.aero www.sunbirds.aero 47
DATE : 19/08/2019
VERSION : 1.7
Belvedere
Geotags Downloaded (if need be)
Aircraft battery
Disconnected & checked
Belvedere
Tab closed
Antenna
Disconnected
Mission
Post-flight Flyfreely app procedure
Camera
Pictures removed using SD card
Equipment inspection
Fuselage
No cracks nor defects, clean
Bay & side cover
Good condition, duct tape OK
Undercarriage
Clean, no cracks
Solar panels
No cracks nor failures, cleaned
Pitot tube
Visually checked, clear and clean
Drone antennas
In place, 90° between them, good condition
Motor
Turning free, sound ok, clean
Propellers
Blades tight, cone tight, no cracks nor defects
Left, central and right Wing
No cracks nor defects
Tails
No cracks, straight, hinges, rods, cables OK
Tail Boom
No cracks
Ailerons
Hinges, connectors and rods condition OK
Controls
Servos moving freely, noise ok
Wing struts
No cracks, clean
Remote Control
Physically inspected, battery level checked
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